Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut DLC Offers Different Ending

Some fans were mad at Mass Effect 3's ending, and BioWare has capitulated and offered a free DLC download that offers a different ending to the game.

The change will occur through additional cinematic sequences and epilogue scenes. A general date of "summer" has been given for the DLC, but there are no timing specifics beyond that.

“We have re-prioritized our post-launch development efforts to provide the fans who want more closure with even more context and clarity to the ending of the game, in a way that will feel more personalized for each player,” said Casey Hudson, the series' executive producer.

The DLC's free status expires on April 12, 2014, and it requires an internet connection (naturally) and EA Origin registration.

-FYI, the specifics pertain to my playthrough, so keep that in mind when reading- Also, *Spoiler Alert*

Player choice actually does affect the ending, they just show a lot of mini endings before the endgame cutscene, which is Shepard's ending. If you select the "control" option (I did), that doesn't mean that, assuming that Legion survived ME2 and you got the Geth and Quarians to work together, all of the sudden Quarians and Geth aren't coexisting back on Rannoch. They don't have the ME relays to communicate with the rest of the galaxy, but who knows, maybe they'll someday be able to rebuild them? I wish them luck.

Most of the other stories are tied up throughout the course of the game. Miranda saves her sister, Mordin goes out a bada$$, Wrex gets his freak on, and with a little imagination on the player's part, Shep totally knocks up Liara. This is all to say that yeah, for the purpose of the Mass Effect series, the majority of the loose ends were taken care of. The most exciting part of the character's lives were shown to us over the last few years. I think their particular ends are unnecessary and better left to the imagination. You don't need a cutscene to tell you that the entire galaxy attended Shepard's funeral, or that with the control option, organics and synthetics might get it right this time. And really, I don't want every last detail spoonfed to me. I'd like just enough wiggle room with the story to enable to me hang out in the Presidium indefinitely.

***Spoiler Alert***
I get the 'respect an ending' for what it is thing. I really do.
What I don't get is how people let things slide like enormous narrative plot holes while using the excuse 'it's up to the imagination.'
I bet if Mass Effect 3's endings all ended abruptly with different odors of farts you guys would be like 'it's an artistic thing, you just don't get.'
There are undeniable facts as to why Mass Effect 3 was a bad ending.
-Promises were made about 'wildly different' endings that aren't being kept.
-Elements were literally introduced at the end of the game that were never hinted at in any form or way. Many of these elements are plot holes. I don't use the word 'plot hole' lightly either. They are actually glaring plot holes.
-The ending was about the cheapest way possible to do it. Left up to the imagination? Hah. That's just another way of saying, 'we didn't want to spend more money.' The movie, INCEPTION is a great way to end a movie with the imagination. Inception - this game is not.
-You're FORCED to destroy Mass Relays in EVERY outcome. Honestly I could care less about the loss of the Relays, but it's already been established that if the Mass Relays are destroyed every organism in that system is completely wiped out. Effectively, Shepard alone does more damage than the Reapers would have done in at least a couple cycles. You could argue that Shepard has become worse than the Reapers because it's possible that he wiped out ALL life in the galaxy.
-There is no closure after roughly 100 hours of gameplay even though multiple elements were introduced.
-Fans have created theories that say the current ending is all in Shepard's head and many people truly believe wholeheartedly in these theories. You see? That's how bad the ending is. People don't want to see it for what it is. The first stage is 'Denial.'
-It copies a Deux Ex ending. Almost word for word with the choices. It's 'almost' copyright infringement.
Was I was one of the people that 'demanded' a new ending? No. I wasn't. And I never would ask for a new ending to someone elses work, but the faults at the end of the game burn bright red. It is a bad ending. Stop fooling yourself and everyone else.
If The Dark Knight ended with the Batman getting ready to stop the Joker, but suddenly Gotham and all it's inhabitants exploded, including every main character, you would say that's a bad ending too.
Stop being 'artistic' and start using some 'common sense.'

Wow, Kato. I expect better reporting from you. In no way does Bioware claim they are changing the game's endings, only extending the ones currently available to grant closure to players. They emphatically state that they will NOT even produce additional endings because they stand by the artistic vision set forth for their game.
I suggest you redact your article so that it's accurate.

I hate reading comments theses days, They didnt cave, they are adding on to the endings they already have, Which in a sense means the people who wanted better endings lost. im trying to keep and open mind, but i dont think the choices fit the game at all, and i dont like that my 150+ hours logged between the 3 games didnt make a difference. I would pay $10 for some endings that made sense. i loved the game and think all but the ending were amazing. Maybe this will clear some stuff up, if not well then it just proves my opinion about bioware is right. That they can make a great first game but will screw up a sequel one way or another, whether its turn mass effect 2 into gears 2 with choices and a little more freedom, or ruin dragon age. Id say Kotor 2 was a good second game. not amazing like the first but i liked it, sadly they didnt make that.

This whole thing is very dissatisfying. And not necessarily because 'it's not changing the ending' but just fundamentally because these events occurred. I loved Mass Effect 1, I loved Mass Effect 2, and I was looking forward to happily enjoying Mass Effect 3... and then this all happened.

Extended Cut, artistic vision, whatever, all I know is that this series was close to a perfect 10 for me and now it has this massive, immovable black spot on it and, basically, I just can't make myself care.

And that is the biggest shame for me personally. This series went from possibly my favorite series of all time, to one that I just can't make myself care about anymore.

As for Bioware, I kind of hate them now. I DON'T CARE about their artistic vision. What I always liked about Bioware's games was that I could be who I want to be, from beginning to end. If I wanted to be the tragic martyr, that was usually an option. If I wanted to be conquering hero that got the girl, that was an option. And if I wanted to be the villainous betrayer, that was there too. If I want to play an interactive storybook where I run through someone else's 'artistic vision' I would play another company's games. Which, in fact, is pretty much exactly what I'm going to do from now on.

This posting is false and misleading. The blog post very clearly states they are NOT changing the ending. They are elaborating on the glaring obscurities presented by it. What this even means is yet to be seen. We can only hope it helps offer a more cohesive understanding of their artistic vision that is somehow actually relevant to the established pillars of the franchise, something the original ending was not.

Actual statement by Bioware can be found here http://blog.bioware.com/2012/04/05/mass-effect-3-extended-cut/